Rain floods Bengaluru roads, halts traffic

Bengaluru, March 17: Bengaluru was lashed by rain on Friday, leading to traffic snarls and flooding of low-lying areas in the state capital, a weather official said.

"The city received an average rainfall of 30mm as of 8.30 p.m.," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

The 40-minute downpour exposed the city's infrastructure woes, flooding several arterial roads and throwing peak-hour evening traffic out of gear and causing gridlocks. Trees were also uprooted due to rain.

"The pre-monsoon rains are due to low pressure in the Arabian Sea. Moderate spells of rain accompanied by heavy winds are likely to be witnessed over the next two days," IMD Bengaluru chief Sundar M. Metri said earlier.